The US is disappointed at President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) announcement yesterday that he is to today visit Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島), the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said, calling it an “unhelpful” move.
“We are disappointed that President Ma Ying-jeou plans to travel to Taiping Island. Such an action is extremely unhelpful and does not contribute to the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea. The US urges Taiwan and all claimants to lower tensions, rather than taking actions that could raise them,” AIT spokeswoman Sonia Urbom said in an e-mail to reporters.
A reciprocal halt among all claimants to further land reclamation, construction of new facilities and militarization of outposts would help to lower tensions and create space for peaceful resolution of disputes, Urbom added.
Photo: Luo Tien-pin, Taipei Times
Vietnam’s representative to Taiwan, Tran Duy Hai, also protested against Ma’s decision in the afternoon, as Hanoi also claims sovereignty over Itu Aba Island.
Tran told reporters that he strongly opposed Ma’s planned visit and that “his actions have violated the claim of the Vietnamese government, and I will therefore express our strong protest to relevant government institutions in Taiwan.”
As tensions are already high in the South China Sea, Tran urged Ma to immediately halt the plan.
Another claimant to territory in the South China Sea, China — which considers Taiwan its sovereign territory — had a different reaction.
Asked to comment on Ma’s planned visit, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office reiterated that China and Taiwan had a common duty to protect Chinese sovereignty in the waterway.
“Safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as safeguarding the overall interests of the Chinese nation is the common responsibility and obligation of compatriots across the [Taiwan] Strait,” office spokesperson Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光) told reporters in Beijing.
While the Philippines also claims sovereignty over Itu Aba Island, it had yet to make any response to Ma’s planned visit as of press time yesterday.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from